New Metroid to challenge expectations

Metroid: Other M designers Yoshio Sakamoto and Yosuke Hayashi have spoken to Eurogamer about their desire to leave their own mark on the famous series, which they hope to do by approaching familiar elements in new ways and investing in the character and story of protagonist Samus Aran.

"While we're trying to do these things that people have been clamouring for, we also don't want to do things the way people expect, because then there's no surprise," Sakamoto, from Nintendo, told Eurogamer in an interview published today.

"On top of that, we have to make it accessible for anybody to play."

One key point of difference will be the game's story focus, which we suggested might lead to a less "lonely" game than some of its series predecessors.

"I think the essential Metroid design is something that's very beautiful, but in each game, I think it's had a slightly different manifestation," Hayashi, of Team Ninja, explained.

"For example, if you think about Super Metroid, that was a game that was really characterised by silence. This time for Other M, the scenario that Mr Sakamoto has written for us is really that of a robust adventure game, with a story that makes players want to see more."

Sakamoto revealed that the team had researched the public perception of Samus as part of their development.

"I think a lot of people who have been playing Metroid certainly have developed an idea of Samus as a loner," he acknowledged. "It certainly seems hard to get a sense that Samus would ever work with team members.

"But because that image is so prevalent, we've decided to play with it a little bit. So you'll find that she does have team members fighting alongside her, but, at the same time, the focus, from the narrative perspective, is going to always be on what she's thinking. We want people to get to know Samus this time around."

Hayashi said that "sense of solitude" would remain, though. "But it's expressed within Samus's character. I think you'll find that Samus is a character who can feel alone even while surrounded by others."